A-LIST ACCESS - Introducing our Small Group Tours in Western Australia & Queensland

Smaller groups, bigger experiences! Join us as we pull back the curtain on AAT Kings' exciting new range of small group tours across Australia's most spectacular regions. With departures limited to just 24 guests (averaging 16), these carefully crafted journeys deliver the intimate, personalised experiences today's travellers crave.

Our product expert John Navarro takes us on a virtual journey through Western Australia's breathtaking Kimberley region, where the new seven-day "Broome and Kimberley Highlights" tour offers the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation. Imagine sipping craft beer at Spinifex Brewery as Broome's famous camel trains amble past, witnessing the magic of pearl cultivation at Willie Creek, and soaring over the ancient Bungle Bungle ranges on an included scenic flight. The pinnacle? An exclusive gourmet dinner under the stars at a secret outback location – an experience only possible with smaller groups.

The conversation shifts to AAT Kings' commitment to authentic cultural experiences through their "Make Travel Matter" initiative. From walking with Robert Dan, a local Nyul Nyul man who shares Dreamtime stories and concludes with didgeridoo performances (impressive enough to have played for Pope Benedict!), to the Djavin Ghoul Cultural Experience in Cape Naturaliste, these genuine interactions create meaningful connections between guests and Australia's First Nations peoples.

Looking ahead to 2026, John unveils the new nine-day "Tropical Queensland" journey from Brisbane to Cairns. This coastal adventure features multi-night stays on K'gari (Fraser Island) and Hamilton Island, plus exploration of the only place on Earth where two World Heritage sites meet – the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforest.

Ready to experience Australia's iconic landscapes in a more meaningful way? Listen now to discover how these thoughtfully designed small group tours are redefining Australian travel with exclusive access, cultural depth, and unforgettable moments you simply can't find anywhere else.

Episode Transcript

Michael (00:02):
Welcome everybody to the AAT Kings A-List Access
podcast series.
This year, we're shaking thingsup a little and giving you more
discussion-based content, whereyou'll have the opportunity to
tune in and eavesdrop, as itwere, picking up valuable
tidbits and intel on a range ofAAT Kings Group topics.
My name is Michael Woods.
I'm the Industry Partnershipsand Marketing Manager for the

(00:24):
AAT Kings Group, so let's getthis episode underway.
Welcome back everybody.
As you know, we've recentlyannounced the launch of a new
range of small group tours,limited to groups of up to 24
guests per departure, with anaverage of just 16.
And they're designed to providea more intimate and
personalised experience fortravellers.

(00:45):
So today I want to talk aboutjust a few of these tours with
an expert.
So let me introduce our head ofproduct and contracting, john
Navarro, another one who's beenworking night and day to get our
WA and Queensland new seasontours out and ready.
Hi, john.
Welcome to A-Listers.

John (01:00):
Thanks, Michael, really excited to be here.
Appreciate you having me.

Michael (01:03):
No problem.
Okay, so let's dive right inWestern Australia.
For starters, let's start withthe Kimberley.
What's going on up there withour tours?

John (01:10):
Yeah, so really excited about this one.
So our team has worked reallyhard.
In WA, we've just launched anew small group itinerary called
Broome and the KimberleyHighlights, and it's a great
option for travelers who want toexperience the Kimberley
without committing to a longfull-on adventure.
It's a one-week trip, so it'sseven days.

(01:31):
It covers a lot of ground butin a way, still feels very
relaxed, and it really gets toshowcase and highlight the
contrast between, you know, theBroome's coastal vibes and
really the rugged outback feeland scenery around Kununurra.
So an added bonus is thatguests only have to unpack twice

(01:52):
, as we spend three nights ineach location.
So, yeah, so it all starts offin Broome, where guests will
enjoy the warm tropical climateand laid-back feel that it's
known for, and we kick thingsoff with a private tasting and a
tour at Spinifex Brewery, whichis a local favorite.

Michael (02:09):
Oh no.

John (02:09):
Yeah, so it's a great place for the trip to kick off.
Guests get to just sort ofrelax in their courtyard and if
they're lucky, they may even beable to spot the camels trotting
on by from their sunset toursalong Cable Beach.
So it's a really fun way toease into the trip.

Michael (02:25):
Sounds like quintessential Broome yeah
exactly.

John (02:28):
It's a real welcome to Broome moment, yeah, yeah.
And then another highlight hereis a visit to Willie Creek
Pearl Farm.
So it's such an interestingexperience.
So you get to behind the scenes, look at how pearls are grown,
get to jump on a creek cruiseand then finish off with a live
demo masterclass where guestswill actually get to see the

(02:51):
opening of an oyster, where youget to see a pearl, yeah, and
actually get a chance toappraise a pearl in real time in
front of the group.
So it's a really fun mix ofhands-on learning experience and
a bit of a wow factor.
Oh, yeah, it tends to be.
It's good, it's going to be auh, a hit there, I think that's
good.

Michael (03:09):
So homework for the product team.
You get to keep the pearl?
, yeah exactly, exactly.

John (03:13):
That's the next step.
Uh, and then we also include aguided Broome highlights tour
with the local indigenous guide.
It's a great culturalintroduction to the area which
we may have.
I might be able to talk alittle bit more if we talk about
some make travel matterexperiences.
But from there, how we thenhead on to Kununurra and this is
where the scenery reallycompletely changes.

(03:35):
It's one of the biggest momentsof the trip is a scenic flight
that we include over the BungleBungle ranges.
So it's a two-hour flight thatgives you this incredible aerial
view of the beehive domes, ofLake Argyle and the old diamond,
argyle diamond mine and thepilot will also give live
commentary throughout.
So it's both stunning andinformative.

(03:56):
So it's a real bucket listexperience, and so I think, for
anybody who envisions theKimberley or envisions you know
what a trip there might looklike, yeah, Bungle Bungle is
always one of the first thingsthat you think about, absolutely
.

Michael (04:08):
And, if anybody gets the chance, even jump on our
website and have a look at someof those photos of the Bungle
Bungles.

John (04:13):
It's just incredible, absolutely, and from that
perspective you really get asense of how vast and how
massive the area really is.
So there's also time to exploreMiramil National Park as well,
which is sort of for lack of abetter description a little mini
bungle bungle, so it's reallybeautiful and really easy to

(04:33):
access.
So we've included some strongcultural elements here.
We'll join a local indigenousguide here as well and hear more
Dreamtime stories, learn aboutnative bush foods and medicines
and get a deeper understandingof the land and culture in this
part of the world All right.
Another favor that we'll do.
Their three-night stay inKununurra is also a sunset

(04:55):
cruise on Lake Argyle, so just areally peaceful way to wind
down some incredible days andreally take in the vastness of
the landscape Nice way to endthe day.
But probably one of the thingsthat we're really excited about
is an exclusive just for AATKings, a new experience that
we've supplied, that wepartnered with, to deliver our
guests a gourmet, authenticOutback dinner experience.

(05:18):
So it's a private diningexperience held at a secret
location out in the bush, abouthalf an hour outside of
Kununurra.
So the setting is just stunning, surrounded by red cliffs, open
skies.
The tables are set up just likea fine dining restaurant,
beautifully, and they they'restyled and there's multiple
courses, and throughout ourguests will also get a

(05:39):
demonstration and some moreinformation about the local
produce and all the nativeflavors that are used.
So it's the kind of experiencethat you really wouldn't get
with a large group.
So we're an intimate experience.

Michael (05:52):
Exactly, exactly what we're after with these new small
groups.
Yes, absolutely, and that's allindigenous local cuisine.
You say?

John (05:58):
Correct.
Yeah, so it's all locallysourced, a lot of native flavors
and ingredients.
So, yeah, and overall, you knowthis is a fantastic itinerary.
It's, you know, seven days, butit really gives people a mix of
nature, culture and some reallyreally memorable experiences
and some bucket list items alongthe way.
That sounds incredible,absolutely.

Michael (06:18):
Cool, all right.
And then I hear you've alsointroduced a few new Make Travel
Matter experiences in some ofour other WA tours.

John (06:26):
Yes, definitely.
So we've put a lot of effortinto expanding our Make Travel
Matter experiences, not onlyacross WA, but all across the
country, but WA in particular.
It's something that we'rereally proud of, because it
gives our guests a chance toconnect more deeply with the
places that we're visiting, andit also supports the local
communities and cultures alongthe way.

(06:47):
That's great.

Michael (06:48):
Yeah.

John (06:48):
So one of the standout new ones that we're really proud of
is In Broome, which I sort ofreferenced earlier.
But guests will get a chance tohave a guided tour led by
Robert Dan, who is a local newmule man.
It's a small group experiencethat feels really personal.
So Robert takes you around keylandmarks around Broom, places
like Cable Beach, chinatown andthe town jetty.

(07:10):
But really the magic is in thestories that he shares.
So he talks a lot aboutBroome's pearling history, his
own family experiences growingup and what it was like to grow
up as an indigenous man in thearea, and the cultural
significance of different bushplants and all the foods, and
he'll even let our guests tastesome of those things.

(07:33):
Yeah, and fun fact, is also agreat didgeridoo player as well.
He's actually performed infront of Pope Benedict when he
visited Australia a few yearsback.

Michael (07:41):
Oh, okay, yeah.

John (07:42):
And so he wraps the tour up with a little bit of live
music, which is always a hit,wow.

Michael (07:47):
You know it's so important.
These new experiences areexactly what we should be known
for, continue to be known for,isn't it?

John (07:53):
Absolutely, and there's a lot of pride and a lot of care
that goes into developing these,and so further south, we've
actually introduced anotherexperience called, which we've
titled, the Davin Ghoul CulturalExperience.
So it's in Cape HolograndNational Park, so it's featured
on our Western Wonderland andSouthwestern Escape tours, so

(08:13):
it's also run by a localindigenous family-owned business
, and then it starts with atraditional spoken ceremony,
then there's a short walkthrough coastal landscape where
the guides share stories aboutseasonal plants, bush medicines,
local wildlife, and it finishesup with casual afternoon tea in
Denver, right by the beach.
So it's a simple but reallyimpactful experience, beautiful.

Michael (08:36):
Mm-hmm.

John (08:37):
And so, yeah, I think you touched on it a little bit,
michael what makes theseexperiences so special is how
genuine they are.
So it's, you know, it's realpeople sharing their culture,
their connection to country and,because we're in smaller groups
, it really feels like a properconversation, and so that's
really.
Yeah, the whole point of ourMake Travel Matter experiences
is to create some of thesemoments that leave a lasting

(08:59):
impression on our guests and, atthe same time, give back to the
people and the places that wevisit and that develop these
experiences.

Michael (09:06):
It's a win-win for everybody, really, absolutely
Okay.
So leaving WA behind.
John, I hear you also lookafter Queensland, so is there
any news from up north?
Well, we're in Sydney, it's upnorth anyway.
So what are some of the majorchanges and news from the
Sunshine State?

John (09:24):
Yes, so we I'm glad you asked about this one because
we've put a lot of time in sortof re-imagining this program as
well, which has been gettingsome really positive feedback
from the trade, which is great.
So we've launched a new smallgroup itinerary called Tropical
Queensland, brisbane to Cairns,and it really is a great one.
So it's a nine day trip up theEast Coast that really captures
Queensland's natural highlights.

(09:45):
So you think your island stays,your rainforest, your reef and
plenty of sunshine along the way.
So the trip starts in Brisbane,heads straight up the coast,
stopping in Noosa beforeferrying over to K'gari, or you
might know it as Fraser Island,for two nights.
So K'gari is an incredibleplace.
It's the world's largest sandisland where rainforest grows

(10:09):
really out of the dunes, sospectacular landscapes.
So guests explore it byfour-wheel drive.
They get a chance to visit LakeMcKenzie and learn about its
ecology and its indigenoussignificance to the region.
Yeah, and then from there wecontinue north to Rockhampton
and then on to Airlie Beachwhere we have another island

(10:31):
stay on Hamilton Island.
We take a short ferry over toHamilton Island in the
Whitsundays, where they spendtwo nights there and get a
little bit of flexible, a littlebit of flexible free time in
their holiday as well, so theycan just relax and enjoy their
time at the resort.
Or they can choose to do anoptional experience like
visiting Whitehaven Beach ormaybe taking some reef flights,

(10:53):
which were always a popularoption.
Yeah, there's so many optionsout Hamilton Island, aren't
there?
Yeah, absolutely Just stunning.
So I think guests are reallygoing to enjoy that multi-night
stay on the island.
And so then from there we makeour way up to Cairns, where
guests will get to experiencetwo world heritage sites the
Great Barrier Reef and the WetTropics Rainforest, which is

(11:14):
actually the only place in theworld where two world heritage
sites converge and meet.
It's a fun little fact therefor you.
And so, yeah, there we have afull day out on the reef, plus a
visit to Kuranda Rainforestwith the Skyrail cableway over
the rainforest.
So that's a really great tripthat we've built in some

(11:38):
flexibility and we have multiplenight stays along, so it's a
nice balance of experiences andsome free time, a bit of
downtime as well, yeah,absolutely.

Michael (11:45):
And when does that one kick in, John?

John (11:47):
That one has departure starting with 2026.
26.

Michael (11:52):
Fantastic.
Oh, that's good Something tolook forward to.
Yeah, absolutely All right,john, that's great.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Really appreciate your timefilling us in on all the latest
from those states.
So next up, we'll be headingover the ditch or the Tasman to
New Zealand to chat with ourresident Kiwi expert and
contracting guru, Angela Mount.

(12:12):
So we'll talk to you again very, very soon.
Thanks everyone for listeningin today and please get in touch
if you have any questions aboutthis episode or any other AAT
Kings related topic.
And, of course, to make itbookie, we'll be back with
another episode of our AAT KingsA-List Access podcast series
real soon.